Reviews

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Jessica Cassidy - Blog reviewer August 17th, 2018

Life is so short and sometimes we did stupid things that will haunt us in time we are not expecting. A boy on the beach is a story of old flings that create vengeance you never expected to happen. It is an intriguing story yet captivating. It will shock you at the same time mesmerized you.

Hatred is an evil thing and vengeance is even worse. It affects everybody not only in your family but works as well. It is nice to let go of the skeleton in your closet and not hiding it. This story is so beautiful and is so touching. I cannot wait to read the second book.

I loved the setting. Beach is always beautiful especially listening to the waves. It will calm you down and drown your thoughts.4 *'s

Carla - Goodreads reviewer - July 17, 2017

Boy on the Beach takes an interesting angle of both past and present and how our past actions can sometimes come back to haunt us.

Andrew had a very interesting and unique past, with the carefree lifestyle of casual sex and drugs. At that point in his life he was selfish and at times uncaring. His actions were done in the moment with little thought to the future and to others. While at times, this served him well he did make a few enemies this way. One in the form of the woman he had thought he was going to marry at one point and the other in the form of a man who claimed he had spiritual powers and could lay curses on others.

In our present view of Andrew, we see a man who has struggled with his personal business and the demons that haunt him from his past. He has made a few business deals but not enough in the building industry to make a name for himself. When the dream job lands at his feet, he is cautious at first but throws that all to the wind for the chance to complete his dream job. What he didn't know were the lies, betrayal and revenge that were hidden behind this dream job that left me as the reader reeling.

This was an intense story of betrayal and revenge. As we flip from his past to his present, we are presented with a complete story of how Andrew made it to where he was and we find out more about why someone would want to hurt him with his business. When we find out the connections between our characters, my mind was blown - I never saw it coming! While it was a shock, the ending left me with a sense of hope and maybe some peace for Andrew. That he could finally forgive his own actions and move forward, making better choices for his future and those who he loves.

​Angela Thompson - A Mama's Corner of the World - July 17, 2017

Boy on the Beach is Difficult to Put Down. While this novel isn't an action-packed, psychological thriller--it will draw the reader into Andrew's story page by page. Readers won't find a violent, terrifying story--although there is a bit of violence and a mounting fear as the book moves along. Instead, readers will discover Andrew's past, page by page, and piece together the puzzle creating his current life events. While I pieced together the underlying mystery fairly early in the novel--I still found myself drawn to every page as the author pulled me into Andrew's life story.

I love a novel with a life story. There were times that Boy on the Beach felt almost memoir-like as we visited moments from the past and followed the main character as he put together the pieces of his past and came to terms with the cause and effect factors throughout his life--leading to the present story. I didn't like Andrew much at the beginning of the novel--but, that changed as he revealed himself and grew as a character. There is a much deeper story than one of revenge and betrayal--and it is one that the author develops realistically.​Would I recommend Boy on the Beach? If you love a psychological thriller focused more on human nature and character discovery and redemption with less violence--this is a wonderful novel. Even if you suspect that you have solved the "mystery"--there are still enough surprises, revelations and character development to keep you turning the pages through to the end. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Marilyn R. Wilson - Blogger, author and editor - July 17, 2018

To the author - well done. I was intrigued by this book as it offered me something different than the titles I have been reading lately. The pace was slower. The author took more time to allow the story and it's characters to develop, letting us savor the journey as we read. And the flashbacks were into a time from my past I remember well.

Maddux develops this intriguing story by following the lives of several characters. We meet the main character - Andrew Foster - in current times where his life has not turned out the way he had hoped. Then we are introduced to those in his circle both past and present. As I read, I felt I had truly met each of them and through these characters, was slowly drawn in to the intrigue of their past and for some, what was motivating their actions in current time.

Hints arise that perhaps Andrew's difficulties are related to his karma working out some hidden unworthy actions in his past. Slowly over the course of the book, the story of his past is unfolded for us through well-timed flashbacks. It's never an easy task to run 2 parallel storylines - past and present - yet the author handled it seamlessly. I found myself often anxiously anticipating the next look back to get another piece of the puzzle.

The end of the story when it came, was the perfect conclusion. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this talented author.

July 12, 2018Format: Kindle EditionBoy on the Beach is Difficult to Put Down. While this novel isn't an action-packed, psychological thriller--it will draw the reader into Andrew's story page by page. Readers won't find a violent, terrifying story--although there is a bit of violence and a mounting fear as the book moves along. Instead, readers will discover Andrew's past, page by page, and piece together the puzzle creating his current life events. While I pieced together the underlying mystery fairly early in the novel--I still found myself drawn to every page as the author pulled me into Andrew's life story.

I love a novel with a life story. There were times that Boy on the Beach felt almost memoir-like as we visited moments from the past and followed the main character as he put together the pieces of his past and came to terms with the cause and effect factors throughout his life--leading to the present story. I didn't like Andrew much at the beginning of the novel--but, that changed as he revealed himself and grew as a character. There is a much deeper story than one of revenge and betrayal--and it is one that the author develops realistically.​Would I recommend Boy on the Beach? If you love a psychological thriller focused more on human nature and character discovery and redemption with less violence--this is a wonderful novel. Even if you suspect that you have solved the "mystery"--there are still enough surprises, revelations and character development to keep you turning the pages through to the end. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Amy C review on Amazon July 11, 2018

4.0 out of 5 starsbut it was pretty good. The writing style is unique and refreshingJuly 11, 2018Format: Kindle EditionBoy on the Beach is the newest release by RD Maddux. I thought the book was a little different from my normal read, but it was pretty good. The writing style is unique and refreshing. The book goes back-and-forth between two time periods. Andrew Foster is an interesting character. I was not sure about him at first but he grew on me about 50 pages in. I admire his success as a developer in San Diego, California. I was intrigued to find out what was in his past that he was trying to get away from. I loved it when Nicole was introduced to the story. I admired her wise ways. She helps bring into a whole new perspective of his past for him. It seems as though he has everything he could ask for but still cannot let go. I was in suspense wondering what was he was running from. Then things start really picking up when he started interacting with Chandler, the boy his sister was in charge of as a nanny. This leads to some mystery and twists that made me want to keep reading to find out what happens next. Andrew find some himself searching for answers of: Why? Where does he go from here? I was surprised by how it all ended and I would have never predicted it at all.I thought Boy on the Beach was pretty good. I would give it 4 1/2 stars. I believe it to be a must read. I will be looking for more by this author in the future.

​Boy on the Beach takes an interesting angle of both past and present and how our past actions can sometimes come back to haunt us.Andrew had a very interesting and unique past, with the carefree lifestyle of casual sex and drugs. At that point in his life he was selfish and at times uncaring. His actions were done in the moment with little thought to the future and to others. While at times, this served him well he did make a few enemies this way. One in the form of the woman he had thought he was going to marry at one point and the other in the form of a man who claimed he had spiritual powers and could lay curses on others.In our present view of Andrew, we see a man who has struggled with his personal business and the demons that haunt him from his past. He has made a few business deals but not enough in the building industry to make a name for himself. When the dream job lands at his feet, he is cautious at first but throws that all to the wind for the chance to complete his dream job. What he didn’t know were the lies, betrayal and revenge that were hidden behind this dream job that left me as the reader reeling.This was an intense story of betrayal and revenge. As we flip from his past to his present, we are presented with a complete story of how Andrew made it to where he was and we find out more about why someone would want to hurt him with his business. When we find out the connections between our characters, my mind was blown – I never saw it coming! While it was a shock, the ending left me with a sense of hope and maybe some peace for Andrew. That he could finally forgive his own actions and move forward, making better choices for his future and those who he loves.You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.Rating: 4/5

Earlier Reviews

To be honest I didn't have time to read this book. I'm presently working on my Doctoral program and the books to read are beyond reach at times. I have a hundred and thirty employees and travel the country fairly regularly. A friend said you've got to read "Boy On The Beach" and gave it to me. I thought to myself, "Fat Chance." But last Saturday I was sick. Didn't want to read deep thick books in the field of my Doctoral studies and saw the book laying on the floor by my bed. Picked it up and couldn't put it down. Started at 2pm finished at 10:30pm and didn't skip stuff! Dang!! Just wasn't expecting the end. So well written as if the author had lived the story, but it read...A Novel.. on the cover. Seriously, I can't promote this book enough. It kind of stays with you. It probably helped that I lived not too many miles from "Big Sur" back in the 70's so it was still fresh in my mind. If you're looking for a mental vacation for less than a full day.. buy "Boy On The Beach"Rich Wilkerson

Couldn't put it down! I felt like I had been teleported back in time to the Hippie generation of Souther California and then back to modern Southern California again. The plot had several twists and turns that held my attention and came to a very crazy but meaningful conclusion. Don't read ahead as it is well worth waiting for the final chapter.Dan Hitzhusen

I couldn't stop reading Maddux's novel. It was like going back through the decades, remembering the culture, and identifying with Andrew Foster's "what ifs". I read to midnight and stopped with a stunner at the end of a chapter three-fourths of the way through the book. I couldn't wait to make my coffee and read to the end the next morning. Now what? How was it going to turn out for Andrew? I really had a soft spot for him. Absolutely loved this page-turner.Mary PuplavaPoway, CA

I love reading books almost as much as watching March madness NCAA basketball games. I made the mistake of starting this book in mid-March and it so captivated my curiosity that I had to keep reading even while missing basketball games on TV. Who is the creepy person in the dark limousine? What does the boy on the beach have to do with the flashbacks to a former life? Is the narrator being set up? I had to keep going to resolve the mystery. Here is my prediction: You won’t be able to guess the ending.​Dr. Bruce HumphreyFormer PastorRancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian ChurchSan Diego, CA

I judge a book by how hard it is to put down and how much I look forward to picking it up. This book scores on both accounts. A sympathetic character caught within his own regrets and murky past being manipulated by forces he cannot understand ... makes for a very good psychological mystery. The writing flows effortlessly. I will definitely read his next book.Mark Cowpersmith​Escondido, CA

I finished the book in less than 3 days! It hooked me from the beginning. I really like how the chapters jumped from present to past. I did not see the twist coming and I love when a book can surprise me like that!​Marissa M.

The characters are well developed and believable. The story is well told. A lesson is hidden in the story ... actions have consequences, And the ending is a surprise.Shirley BellSpring ValleySan Diego, CA